Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Pakistan’s Election Commission has announced presidential elections for October 6 with September 27 as the last day for filing nominations to be confirmed within two days. Under Pakistani law the ballot will be cast by members of the federal and provincial assemblies. The new president must be sworn-in by November 15 so that new parliamentary elections can be called within a month.

The current office holder, General Pervez Musharraf, has already announced his intention of running. Moreover, his attorney said that the president is prepared to resign as chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army in case of re-election.

The statement was soundly attacked by opposition parties like former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Muslim League. The former insisted that Musharraf had already pledged to quit his army post in 2002 and then again in 2004 but failed to do so. For the Muslim League, it is unacceptable that the president should blackmail the entire nation.

In order to stop him both parties have unusually joined forces to present six petitions to the Supreme Court which has the power to decide whether the president can run again or not.

The PPP has called on the government to hold parliamentary elections before the next president is chosen in order to have new lawmakers choose who should be the next person to hold the highest office in the land.

The reason is self-evident. At present, the president’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, has an overwhelming majority in parliament and can easily determine the outcome of any presidential vote.

“God willing we will re-elect him, we have got the majority, we have got the strength,” current Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said.

Benazir Bhutto seems to share this view. In the last few months she has been negotiating with the general from abroad a ‘transition to democracy,’ including a deal that would allow her a third term as prime minister in exchange for her party’s support for his plan to be re-elected president. 

Although neither side has acknowledged any agreement, Ms Bhutto is scheduled to return home on October 18, just in time to run for prime minister.